I Did It and an Ouch

Yesterday's run left me with 3.79 miles left to the 100 mile mark for the month of January.  Well, I DID IT!!  I am excited, but also tired.  This afternoon I was getting antsy (more on this below) so ADP suggested a run.  I took it slow and finished the month with 100.21 miles.  Woo Hoo!! 

Antsy will be my state on Sunday afternoons until August when football starts up again.  I will watch some of the Probowl and Superbowl, but both are evening games.  Thankfully, Nascar starts in two weeks, but it is merely a substitute for football.  ADP went to grad school with Matt Kenseth's cousin so I am a Kenseth fan by default.  Kenseth has a new sponsor so I'll have a hard time spotting him on the track, but I'll learn.

And an ouch.  I've had chaffing before and always dealt fine with it.  Chaffing is no fun, but it is a part of running.  Yesterday I wore a sports bra that I have never worn on a run longer than 4 miles.  One word:  MISTAKE!  The bottom of the girls are chaffed.  I am really looking forward healing because I'm not comfortable. 

This week's plan:
Monday:  rest (did this run Sunday)
Tuesday:  5 miles
Wednesday:  rest
Thursday:  6 miles
Friday:  4 miles
Saturday:  rest
Sunday:  Winter Series Race #5 - probably 10 miles (although may do 4 miles depending on the weather)

A Cool Saturday

I'm not as tough as I once was and it's all because of where I now live. It is 13F outside right now and I shied away from running outside. I have realized that even though I love winter, I do not need it to get colder than 20, especially when I am planning on running. This is perfect because according to Weather.com the average high here is 31 and average low is 13. So, to wake up and have the thermometer read 0.4F is a little colder than I’m used to.

This cool front prompted me to run on the treadmill. I have to say through all my whining over the summer about how hot the basement was getting, it is finally cool to the point that I LOVE it! I can run 10 miles on the treadmill and not feel like I’m swimming in sweat.

I did run 10.38 miles on the treadmill this morning. I hopped off the treadmill after 6 miles to stretch my legs out, roll out my ITB, and drink some water. Mile nine was the hardest mile – but that may have something to do with the movie I was watching (Batman and Robin is the worst of the Batman movies, IMHO). I finished strong, did my crunches and pushups, and drank some more water. I’m not as good about drinking water when I’m on the treadmill so I was thirsty when I finished up.

Before returning to family/mommy duty I updated my nifty excel mileage spreadsheet and realized I’m only 3.79 miles from a 100 mile month. I may need to hop back on the treadmill tomorrow to so I can have at least one 100 mile month in 2010. I’ll decide tomorrow if I want to have a go at 100 or not. Today, I plan on enjoying life.

The Limits of Blogging

The limits of the bloggy land are endless and the biggest right now is that most people who are reading this don’t know me in person. So, a clarification because I forget not everyone knows everything about me (OK, I’m being a little ‘the world is all about me’ for a bit).

I’m working on my master’s degree in adolescent education so I can teach high school chemistry. My undergrad degree is in chemistry, so I’m patiently working on my certification and masters at the same time. I am taking my time with my degree because I don’t want to student teach until my kids (Bugs and Punky) are both in school. Next year is the year – Bugs will be in 1st grade and Punky will start kindergarten. Fall is going to be very busy around here.

I think that is it! I really liked writing random things, so I’ll probably be doing more of it in the future. Also, since this is a running blog: I logged 6.36 miles this morning on the treadmill.

Beautiful Blogger

I received a Beautiful Blogger Award from AJH at Age Groups Rock.  Thanks!!  I'm supposed to tell you seven random things about myself.

Here are seven things about me that happened today.

1. I was fingerprinted (it was electronic in case you are curious).  I'm one step closer to being a teacher.
2. I applied for to student teach in the fall.
3. I ran 4 miles this morning and then cooled off by walking .36 miles.
4. One of my favorite parts of being done with a run is rubbing lotion on my feet.  And, since I ran this morning I have happy feet today.
5. Today I ate half as many cookies as I usually do.
6. This morning I forgot to put a belt on. I spent all morning I was pulling my pants up because I haven't gotten around to buying new jeans since loosing weight.
7. I got a tiara cake pan in the mail today! 

Instead of tagging seven more people, I'd love for you to comment with something random about yourself.

A Monday Double

Mondays always start with a run on the treadmill. My week just isn’t the same if I don’t exercise on Monday. Today was no different; I was up and at ‘em early this morning. It was warm outside when I got up but like all other weekdays -- ADP was out the door before I even woke up and with young ones I was stuck on the treadmill.

I turned on the beginning of Friday Night Lights Season 3 and ran. I have finally figured out four miles is just about perfect for a show (with no commercials). I usually punch in 45 minutes because by the time the computer buffers at the beginning of the show I am a couple minutes into my run.  I get to run and finish with a nice speed walk cool-down until the show is done (43 minutes).

I mentioned it was warm. Here’s proof (outdoor temp on bottom right, normal high is 31F).

I was hoping to go for a run outside when ADP got home from work, but it was a no-go. It was down pouring. I was ready to go so I hit the treadmill again. This time I planned on three easy miles. It was good to run a second time, but I would have rather been outside. There are lots of reasons I didn’t go outside to run; one of the biggest reasons is the last thing I need is to get sick because of running in the rain. This is next to our house; the “pond” (normally covered with grass) runs the whole length of our lot.

Week Plan:
Monday: 3 miles (actual 7 miles)
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: 6 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday or Sunday: 10 miles

Winter Series Race #4 - Race Report

It is a beautiful day in upstate New York! It’s January 24 and this morning it was ~30F for the race. You really can’t ask for much more in the middle of the winter.

ADP and I headed to the race with kids in tow this morning. We both signed up to run the 3 mile race (other races were 15K and 30K). Once we signed in and we signed the kids in so they could do crafts while we ran (I don’t think they even knew we were gone because they had such a great time). I finally remembered to take some canned food along for the Winter Series Food Bank Effort; they are trying to collect 500 items in five races.

Things were a little different with ADP there. He warmed up before the race…and I tagged along for one lap around the track. Also, I know I’m not competitive when it comes to my running against others – I know I’ll be in the middle to end of the pack. Apparently, I’m competitive for ADP because I was giddy excited for him, telling him where he should start (front of the pack), and I had to keep reminding myself to tell him to have fun.

I also caught up with Amanda and finally got a picture of us. She ran the 15K today so we didn’t get to run together today.

I did learn something about my Garmin today – press “lap” after warming up otherwise I’ll have no idea what my splits for the race are. So the best I can do is my splits including a .27 mile warm-up.


Mile 1: 9:12
Mile 2: 8:44
Mile 3: 9:08
.32 mile: 2.28 (7:41 equiv)
Total: 3.32 mi, 29:34, 8:54 /mi ave

Race: 3.05 miles, 27:10 (8:54 ave)
I decided to push myself today since I never push my speed and it turned out well!

As for ADP, well the boy had fun. He finished the 3 miles in 18:23 for ninth place overall and first place in his age group. He received a box of Multigrain Cheerios for his efforts!

Friday Fanfare

Welcome to all the new followers!! It is exciting having you here. Leave me a comment and I’ll stop by your blog and say hi!

We are 22 days into 2010. Can you believe it? It still shocks me when I write “2010” so no, I can’t believe it. How is your running going? I hope you are out there getting it done. Good luck to all the runners and racers this weekend.

Badgergirl has an Indoor Triathlon Saturday
Happy 30th Birthday to Badgergirl Sunday
Manderz is running the Winter Series #4 (15K)

My Friday Fanfare race calendar is filling up. Leave a comment if you want to be included and I’ll add you to my calendar. Also, don't forget to stop by the giveaways listed in the sidebar.

Planning My Week

This week’s exercising was a little hard to plan for unknown reasons. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but together they all added up to not wanting to get up and run. I loved my run on Monday through the snow, slush and puddles. Monday also marked the day a tension headache showed up – and it hasn’t gone away since. I have lots going on in the next couple months but not so much I should have a tension headache. It is just one more thing to deal with this week.

Though my headache bugged me all night and tired body didn’t want to move this morning I managed to get out of bed and finish 6.36 miles on the treadmill this morning. It’s done and I’m glad I did it. Now, if my head would feel better!

The good news is that I think I have ADP talked into going to the Winter Series Race this weekend. The race is free for members of our running club (he’s a member). There is a kids’ activity table and a couple of members who will watch the kids (once again, free). The challenge is that it is winter in upstate NY and ADP isn’t a fan of running outside when it is below 50F. We prefer opposite seasons; I love winter and he loves summer. And yet, we manage to somehow get along. I hope he goes and I hope he runs all 3 miles well. No pressure on ADP, but based on the last few races he as a chance to come in the top two for his age group. Of course, this is just for fun so I’ll put no pressure on him. I just want him to come along to see what I’ve been up to and hope that he has fun while he’s there.

The Results Are In

I know you have all been waiting with bated breath.  On Dec 12 I took my second state exam so I can someday be a certified chemistry teacher.  The results are in:  PASS!!!  I'm doing a happy dance.  I have one more to take, which I'll probably take once it gets warm out.

Soaked Through

During the night it snowed so one of the first things on the agenda today was to shovel.  By the time we got outside it was 40F and sunny!  As you can imagine, the snow was perfect for making a snowman.  We made two but only Punky wanted her picture with me.  Later in the afternoon when I went out for a run the snowmen were melting in the warm 44F.  They were fun to make even if they melted right away.

We also had some errands to run this morning so I took the "long" route to Target to see what the running path looked like.  It had been plowed which solidified my decision to run 5 miles today.  Let me take you through my run.

First, Bugs took my picture.  Note my awesome Pearl Izumi therma fleece arm warmers, another great Christmas gift from ADP.  The jacket (also Pearl Izumi) was from the kids for Christmas.  Then I headed out.

0-1.4 mile mark:  Running through the subdivision.  I ran in the middle of the road to avoid huge, deep puddles. (mile 1:  9:22)

1.4-2 mile mark:  Run on Main Street.  Once upon a day this road was busy, but now it isn't.  Thankfully the road has been kept up and the shoulder is a good 6' on both sides of the road and nice an tapered. (mile 2:  9:15)

2-3.2 mile mark:  FUN!  This part of my run has a wonderful walking/running path (except for the pesky .2 mile without a path).  The problem, the path hadn't been plowed.  The path, however, is close enough to the road that when the road was plowed the path gets covered with slush, dirt, salt, and water.  Running on the shoulder isn't an option because it is maybe 6" with cars speeding by at 45 mph, so I ran on the path.  It only took .25 mile for my shoes to be soaked through.  I was basically puddle jumping (like a little kid) for 1.2 miles.  You should have seen the huge smile on my face.  (mile 3:  9.27)

3.2-4 mile mark:  I usually don't turn here, but I didn't think I'd have the energy to keep high stepping/puddle jumping for another mile so I turned into a neighboring subdivision and ran on wet, but puddle free roads.  (mile 4:  9:20)

4-5.01 mile:  The hill.  Really, I wish I could find a nice 4+ mile run near my house without this hill, but it just isn't happening.  4.1 miles= elevation 240 ft.  4.2 miles= elevation 314 ft.  Normally I have enough energy to make it up the hill, but my fun mile earlier left my legs a tired.  I slowed and made it up the hill.  The bonus, at the top of the hill is the entrance to the subdivision I live in so home is close!  (mile 5:  9:52)

I made it home before nap-time was over (ADP was home, but I still like to make it home so I can spend time with the kiddos).  5.01 miles, 47:21 min, 9:27/mi ave, and so much fun.  My socks will never be the same.

Fugally-Dugally-Doo

We are having a January thaw so I had to take advantage of it. At 1:30 this afternoon it was partly sunny and 43F outside with a light breeze (from the north, of course). My goal was to run ~8 miles as I headed out. I wasn’t expecting anything great because I’m tired, my cold isn’t completely gone, and while my mind was ready for a run my body was ready to curl up by the fireplace and read.

All was going along as well as could be expected. Translation = my nose was running so much there was no way I could breath through it. At one point I stopped to try to figure out if there was any possible way to breathe through my nose and then kept going. A while later I looked down and fugally-dugally-doo! I must have hit the stop button on my Garmin when I was trying to figure out how to breathe through my nose. Fugally-dugally-doo! I hit the start button and kept on going. In the end, since I was running a 3 mile route I’ve run plenty of times in the past I was able to figure out I missed 1.4 miles on my Garmin. I don’t have total times or accurate averages, but I’m ok with it because I was out there in the sun and warmth.

I wore my new Lululemon gloves today! A sweet friend gave them to me for Christmas and they were perfect today!  Nothing else I wore was of great interest today...

The January thaw ends tomorrow because we are expected to get sleet and snow Sunday night. Football tonight and tomorrow (no Packers, but I still need to keep tabs on the games) will keep me plenty busy so I have no reason to go out in the sleet.

Today: 8.47 miles (Garmin:  7.07 mi, 10:09/mi ave)
Week: 20.62 miles

Friday Fanfare

January is half done already!  How is your running going?  I hope you are out there getting it done.  Welcome to all the new followers!! It is exciting having you here. I'll stop by your blog as time allows! Good luck to all the runners and racers this weekend.

Tina is running the Houston Marathon
Ken is running the Houston Half Marathon



Races will start picking up again now that the holidays are done. Leave a comment if you want to be included in my Friday Fanfare. Also, don't forget to stop by the giveaways listed in the sidebar.

My Kids

Shameless plug...  I may have mentioned that my kids make me insanely happy (except when they are fighting like cats and dogs).  Here they are in all their glory.

Bugs and Punky

Wednesday Stuff including 10 Things

“Wednesday Stuff” is the best I can come up with today. I’m tired. I’m eating chocolate at 2 pm. I really just want to read my latest book, “The Girl Who Played with Fire” by Larsson. All this blah and I even ran this morning.

Yes, I ran this morning. I got up (my alarm went off at 5:01) and I decided to see how many miles I could get in before my day began. I was rushing and had to skip my crunches, but I ran 5 miles on the treadmill and managed to mostly get ready before the kids needed me. Yay!!

Sami at Eat Breathe Run 13.1 tagged me. To accept, I need to list 10 things that make me happy and then pass it along to 10 people. Ready, set, go!

1. My kids! They are the light of my life.
2. ADP! He supports me in all of my endeavors.
3. Salad Creations.  Their Jr. Chopped Veggie with Low Fat Honey Dijon is my favorite. The best part, it is big enough to feed me two nights in a row!
4. The Library and Paper Back Swap.  I love reading and getting books free or cheap to read is the best!
5. Diet Coke.
6. Family. They may be far away, but I love ‘em dearly.
7. Winter, snow, cold, warming up by the fireplace; I just love winter!
8. Enjoying a good cup of tea in the morning to start the day makes me happy.
9. My faith in God.
10. Loving the life I live! What I do, who I am, the actions I take all help me love my life.

Now, I’m sure you are wondering who the lucky ones are. Wait no longer:

Robin @ Westford Mommy

AJH @ Age Groups Rock

Katie @ Fit to Wed

Tina @ Gotta Run Now

Amanda @ Manderz Journey to a New Life

ESH @ Sweat Once a Day

JenLo @ Thinks By Me

Badgergirl @ Adventures of Badgergirl

Tim @ Bay Area Runner

Velma @ Running with Boys

I can't wait to read what makes you happy!

Alarm Clock Woes

I am taking this semester off from graduate school. This means no class, no studying (except for those pesky state tests), no group work and most of all, no rushing to get it all done. Since I’m taking the semester off I decided I’m not setting my alarm at 4:36 in order to get my running done. Instead, my alarm clock is set for 5:01. I decided an extra 30 minutes of sleep would do me good.

The problem is I don’t have enough time to get all my miles in before the kids get up. Since my running during the week needs to be done before the kids get up (because of their schedule) I have a few options:

• Get up earlier to get it done
• Run faster, a.k.a. cover more miles in the allotted time
• Make my weekend runs longer
• Add a second run one or two days a week
• Add another day of running

I have vowed to sleep more so getting up; while this is a great option, it isn’t in my best interest. Run faster, hmmm, I’m a slower runner so this is a possibility. I really don’t want to run longer on the weekends while it is still winter. My weekends usually include a 8, 9 or 10 mile run so there is definite possibility to increase mileage on the weekend once it gets warmer. I could add a second run in the evenings, after ADP gets home from work, after dinner, after getting the kids to bed, which is when I’m exhausted.  I already run four days a week (back from 5 when my ITB started bothering me) and am diligently trying to add a fifth day of exercise in the form of a class at the gym (usually yoga).  I don’t know which I’ll do. What would you do?

My pace has really gotten faster over the past year and I haven’t tried to make it faster, it just sort-of happened. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep going faster? I’ll never be a speed demon, but I can try to get faster.

Week plan (a little late):
Monday:  30 minutes (done!)
Tuesday:  off
Wednesday:  4 miles
Thursday:  off (have to get my teeth cleaned instead of yoga)
Friday:  30 minutes
Sat or Sun:  8 miles

So Much Fun

I volunteered this morning at our runners club race and I loved it!  If you have never volunteered at a race, you definitely need to.  I was at the registration table, so I saw people debating whether they were going to run the 3 miler, 10K or 25K.  When the racers came in from the races it was fun watching and listening to them; you could feel the excitement in the crowd. 

Granted, this race series is low key with no chips or bibs.  When the runners cross the finish line they get handed a 3x5 index card and have to remember their time until they get inside (where it's warm) where they fill out the card with their information and time.  Some of the runners in the 10K and 25K had really cold hands so we had to help them fill out their cards.  We loved helping them and I know the runners were appreciative of the help. 

The top male and female runners in each race got a pie.  The top two in each age group received a loaf of bread (not just any loaf, this bread is DELICIOUS!).  To make volunteering even sweeter, they even gave bread to the volunteers.  So, I'll be enjoying some wonderful bread tonight while I watch the Packer game with my family.

*The whole team for the 3-person marathon relay was there today so the paperwork is signed and will be in the mail tomorrow!  It's official, we're as good as registered. 

**Congrats to Felice, at The Happy Runner, who recieved a loaf of bread for placing in the top two in her age group for the 10K!!!

No Explosions

This year started out well and then it hit me, the cold that everyone else in the family had already suffered through. By Monday afternoon I could barely breathe through my nose. Tuesday morning I lost my appetite. By Tuesday late afternoon I couldn’t keep my eyes open and went to bed without even trying to eat dinner and slept for 12 hours. All day Wednesday I felt like my head was going to explode – it didn’t! Aren’t you glad I’m still here? (Rhetorical question people.) Another long night of sleep on Wednesday night helped because I started to feel little bit more like a live person on Thursday. (Do you like the play-by-play of my cold?) Friday morning I woke up early and went for a run on the treadmill. It was painful – my throat was raw although I did make it ~3 miles.

Since my run Friday morning wasn’t a walk in the park and my head was still pounding most of the day, I decided to contact Sunday’s volunteer coordinator for the race I was planning on running. The coordinator doesn’t know where they need help, but she is going to find something for me to do. So, instead of racing 3 miles, I’ll be helping where I’m needed.

Friday Fanfare

I hope your 2010 is off to a wonderful start!  Welcome to all the new followers!! It is exciting having you here. I'll stop by your blog as time allows!  The country is a bit cooler than normal, so good luck to all the racers this weekend and, stay warm.

Robin is running Disney's Goofy Challenge
Jon is hoping for snow for the Brave the Blizzard Snow Shoe Race
Felice and Manderz are running our local Winter Series Race #3

Races will start picking up again now that the holidays are done. Leave a comment if you want to be included in my Friday Fanfare.  Also, don't forget to stop by the giveaways listed in the sidebar.

A Marathon Relay

I’m excited for my next race, a 3-person marathon relay. The best part, I’m running it with two local bloggy friends! Felice and Amanda are the other runners and I think it is safe to say we are all excited.


Similar to the other races I’ve been doing, this race is run outside in upstate NY in February. This means we could have 50F weather (doubtful) or be in the middle of a Nor’easter and getting feet of snow. Mileage we can plan for; the weather will do what it will. I’ll be hoping for a nice February day!

The course isn’t the most exciting course ever; the 26.2 mile course is five loops of interior roads on school and state campuses. Three people means three legs (Duh!) run in this order: 9.2, 5.7 and 11.3 miles. Time to get ready to run in February.

4 Wheels and a Plan

I am happy to report that we picked the car up this afternoon and now have two new tires on it.  Yes, it was my fault the tire blew - but in all fairness the curb got in my way.  Now that the car is back I can focus a little more on everything else going on, like getting the kids and ADP out of the house (back to reality day for them...school and work).

I really wanted to go for a run yesterday (only two days after my half-marathon), but it was cold and Sunday = FOOTBALL!!!  I didn't go yesterday, instead I got up this morning and ran three on the treadmill.  My legs felt great.  I loved getting back so soon.  No pain.  No discomfort.  Just me, my treadmill, and another episode of Friday Night Lights (have I mentioned I like football?).

I don't really have a plan this week.  I was waiting to see how my legs were doing after Friday's 13.1.  Since my legs feel good this is my adjustable plan for the week.

Monday:  3 miles (done!)
Tuesday:  nada
Wednesday:  5 miles
Thursday:  evening butts & gutts class followed by yoga/pilates mix class
Friday:  3 miles
Saturday:  nada
Sunday:  Winter Series Race #3, probably 3 miles

One Picture

I smiled and waved and gave many a thumbs up for what seemed like picture after picture and yet I could only find one picture of me from the Hangover Half.  I understand volunteers took the pictures and the race was free (note the lack of bibs!), but if you are going to take that many pictures of me, I'd love for there to be one of me.  Here I am, the one "hiding" behind the others wearing a pink shirt with a bright yellow vest:

I am still hoping there are pictures from the 3.5 miler with both Manderz and me not only in the picture...but front and center in the picture.

Running and Curbs, RR

I did not post any goals for yesterday’s race because it was so simple I didn’t think I needed to announce it. 1/1/10 Goal: Start the year running! That is it, no more, no less. Then I thought about it and why just start the year running, why not run a race? Thankfully the running club I am in had two races on Jan 1, 3.5 miler and the Hangover Half. Earlier in the week I really thought I’d be running the 3.5 miler – first my ITB was really tight and bothering me and then it sounded like we were going to get feet of snow dumped on us before, during and after the race. The morning of the race we only had a dusting of snow (from the day before), cloudy skies, 35F, and my ITB was feeling good so I went for it.

The race started at noon. Noon is not a good time to start a race because I’m extremely hungry for lunch. I even ate breakfast late and I was still hungry. Manderz was running the 3.5 mile race so we were together for the first 3.25 miles. Once again, it was great having someone to run with! I was really happy at the two mile mark when she held some clothing for me so I could take a layer off. I’d never stripped clothing off while running so it was a new experience. But, since I over dressed I needed to take my fleece off. We averaged 9:43 min/mile while we were together.

When we parted ways I turned my music on and settled in to finish the next ~10 miles. My new goal was to finish without hurting myself. In order to do this I stopped and did a quick stretch at 6, 8 and 10 miles and walked for .1 mile each time. It felt good to stretch the hams. I averaged 10:03 min/mile over the middle miles.  Unfortunately, even with my stretching I felt my ITB getting tight about the 10 mile mark. I knew I needed to slow down to prevent hurting myself, so I slowed down and ran the rest at a comfortable and challengingly slow 10:43 min/mile.  With 0.1 mile I picked it up because I wanted to finish strong. I took what I had and ran…equivalent to a 8:09 min/mile.

All my stretching paid off. I’m sore today, but I’m walking and not in the same kind of pain as I was in last week. I’m happy with my results, 2:14:54 (only 6 seconds longer than my first half-marathon…you know, the one when it was warm and sunny out).

The results are up on-line and I’ve heard that “hardcore” runners do the winter series. I’m doing them because they are free, will get me outside, I like seeing other people, and did I mention they are FREE. It is obvious that there are good runners doing these races. Me = #215 out of 233. The first ~100 people ran less than a 8 min/mile, the next hundred were between 8 and 10 min/mile. The rest of us…well, we were slower but we FINISHED!!

I left the race not long after finishing. I was hungry, needed a shower, and really wanted to spend some time with my family. On the way home I took a corner too wide, hit a curb and blew the front passenger tire on the car. Bummer! The icing on the cake: my cell phone was dead. Total Bummer!! I knocked on a random person’s front door and they let me call ADP who in turn called AAA for me. Today, we have one car because the tire place doesn’t have time until Monday to put new tires on. So, while I’m excited to be done with my race, until we get the car back the tire is putting a damper on my spirits.

PS. They were taking pictures during the race yesterday, I just hope they are posted soon!

A Happy New Year Fanfare

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  IT'S 2010!

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2010 and we can all run, swim, and bike to our potential this year!  It's going to be a great one.

Welcome to all the new followers!!  It is wonderful having you here.  I'll stop by your blog as time allows, a.k.a. when the kids head back to school next week.  There are a few people starting 2010 with races! 

One Little Tri Girl is running a new year 5K
Manderz is running a new year 3.5 miler (if the snow stays away)

Races will start picking up again now that the holidays are done.  Leave a comment if you want to be included in my Friday Fanfare.



I hope you are still reading...

My giveaway ended with the end of 2009 so this morning I went to random.org, shuffled the list and ran the numbers through the randomizer (it sounds more technical than it really is).  Here is what the winner is getting:

Robin at Westford Mommy won the lot!  Robin said "I have been wanting to switch to Hammer Gels so I would definitely pick any flavor of Hammer gel to try out."  Congratulations.